Architects of the Deluxe Edition (Part 2)

Architect Strategies Part 2

Ready for another strategy primer? Of course you are! I’ve got a few more Architects I’d like to showcase today so let’s get right to it.

One of my favorite Architects from the Mercury Protocol expansion, Jetta, Tech Dealer embodies an Architect with arguably the most a powerful Cryo ability in the game but her power can also benefit other players. The purple symbol means Cycle. Cycle is a mechanic that was present in the original Last Sunset release, but I decided to use it a lot more in the Deluxe Edition so it got its own symbol. With her power you Cycle all cards in the Market then you generally Obtain a 3 or 4 cost card. Every once in a while, you may get a 5 cost card but it’s pretty rare. In case of a tie, you get to choose which card to keep. The reason it benefits other players is because a whole bunch of new cards get revealed. Of course, if a player was targeting something specific, that will get Cycled as well, so it could just as easily slow down other players strategies. Jetta works really well, with abilities that draw cards and you can thin your deck with bio cards pretty aggressively since you will be replacing them with better cards. All this and she just looks so cool. 🙂

Chain is a high cost, high powered Architect. He gives you a variety of abilities which will typically be used at specific targeted moments in the game. You can amass quite an arsenal and, with a bit of planning, you can Overcome multiple Events in a single turn. Use your early turns to stockpile a Defense tech or two and be sure to pick up some transport cards like Sublight Prototype or build some Embassies to make travelling cheaper. Let your Cryo cool back down and get ready for a mega turn. Sooner or later, you’ll draw a something that let’s you move and something that adds to your defense. Discard your other three cards and start bashing Events with reckless abandon! He’s quite a combo center piece and pairs very well with movement cards. Heavy deck thinning is maybe not the best strategy with Chain as you will actually want a few cards in your hand that you don’t mind discarding but, that said, he does throw cards into your discard pile which helps when using Consume abilities. I’m actually working on a story for Chain right now. He’s the creepy kid in the image but what about that six armed woman in the background?

Commodore Fontaine is one of the earliest Architects I made. He’s been around since the beginning and is generally the Architect I suggest for first time players. Now, don’t let that fool you. Just because he only has one ability, possibilities with the Commodore are endless. He can jump around the solar system with ease, accessing Location Bonuses, taking out Events or, if you are playing with the Mercury Protocol expansion, collecting and delivering mass quantities of cargo and fulfilling mad requests. Cargo is an excellent way to Bank Credits or Obtain some Illegal Tech, which are both brand new mechanics in the expansion. Fontaine can often get first choice on the very limited supplies of Illegal Tech cards and maybe fulfill a request at the same time. Requests are worth and immediate Influence bonus when you deliver to specific Locations. You probably don’t need much help in the way of transport cards while using Fontaine but a bit of Defense early in the game certainly won’t go amiss.

The last Architect I’m going to talk about today is Nyah, the Archivist. Nyah was originally available as a promo card from the first Kickstarter but she has received the most complete overhaul of any character to date. Her original powers were a bit weak. Her updated powers are also on the weaker side but she has the ability to Cycle an extra card every turn. This means, without even using a Location Bonus, Nyah can Cycle two cards every turn. This might not seem overly powerful but when coupled with the right cards, she can go bananas. Her strategy is a bit more specific than most of the other Architects. Early the in the game you will want to start digging through the Bio deck to find cards that say “Plasma” in the title. All of the Plasma cards work extremely well with Nyah’s second ability. Why? Because Plasma cards can Consume themselves. Most of the time, only junk cards get Consumed, but the Plasma cards are one way to build a powerful engine for Nyah. You can also Consume cards in your discard pile then return them to your hand to use them two turns in a row. Don’t be afraid to toss lots of cards in the Consume pile as there is only one other card in the whole game with access to the Consumed cards.

Alright, I did four Architects this time! Maybe I’ll get another batch done this month but just in case I don’t, I’ll wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – right here and right now 🙂